The present invention relates to a data processing method and device and more particularly to a low-cost data processing method and device of a simple structure.
Recently, personal computers have become widespread, with these personal computers being used to access prescribed servers via a network so that prescribed information can be obtained.
Application programs are necessary for carrying out various processes with these kinds of personal computers. Each user purchases application programs which can operate with the operating system (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cOSxe2x80x9d) of their personal computer and installs and uses these application programs directly from a recording medium or via a communications line.
An idea for determining whether or not a client is appropriate while an application program is being installed via a communications line has been disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent No. Hei. 1-15253612. However, the object of this was to determine whether or not the user of the client computer is a regular user, with compatibility between the program and the computer not being determined in the related art at the time of installation of the program.
When OSs are different, the application program is also different, with each user then selecting and purchasing application programs in line with their own OS. The application providers (application designers) also then have to design a number (equal to the number of OSs) of application programs for carrying out what is essentially the same process, which involves a great deal of labor while at the same time increases costs.
A similar problem also occurs with application programs having the same OS. Namely, two application programs have to be designed separately even when both of these application programs are operating on the same OS when one of these application programs is different from the other application program. This makes the amount of effort and cost involved in providing a single application program high.
As the present invention sets out to resolve these kind of problems, it is the object of the present invention to provide single application programs simply and at a low cost independently of the type of computer.
According to the data processing method of the present invention, a server checks whether or not a client has an execution environment for an application environment to be downloaded when the application program is to be downloaded to the client and the server downloads the application program to the client in accordance with the results of the check.
Further, the application program is executed using a method for interpreting and executing the application program converted to intermediate code and a method for dynamically compiling the intermediate code and executing generated binary code. For example, when compiling is difficult, the intermediate code can be interpreted and executed gradually.
A data processing device of the present invention is provided with a checker for checking whether or not the client has an execution environment for the application program to be downloaded when the application program is to be downloaded to the client and a downloader for downloading the application program to the client in accordance with checking results of the checker.
This data processing device can further comprise a notifier for giving notification with relation to the execution environment for the application program to be downloaded when the application program is to be downloaded from the server and a downloader for downloading the application program from the server in accordance with the notification results of the notifier.
This data processing device can still further comprise a first executor for interpreting and executing the application program converted into intermediate code, a binary code generator for dynamically compiling the intermediate code and generating binary code and a second executor for executing the binary code and the system object. For example, when compiling is difficult, the intermediate code can be interpreted and executed gradually.